Bait
by kayden444
Summary: this is my first fanfic, so please be nice! Erin gets kidnapped while working on a major case and used as bait to get Danny, who is the main witness. not the best summary but worth reading, please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Blue bloods

_**Erin**_

It was really late, but Erin was still in her office. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and sighed. The case she was working on was exhausting and she had to go to court tomorrow. She was prosecuting a major drug and arms dealer, Anthony Rives. Unfortunately they didn't have much evidence, and most of what they had was circumstantial. Erin knew that if Rives got charged, then a quarter of the drug and arms smuggling and selling would be cut off at the source and because the case was so big and public, it would probably make her career. She had been trying to get Rives for several months and this was the first time they had evidence; they had his prints on a gun used to kill an undercover cop. unfortunately, he owned a firearms store and she knew that his lawyer would claim that the gun was one he sold. She knew that the case would be long and trying but she also knew that if he got charged he was going away for life, probably without probation.

She looked at the clock and saw it was just after midnight. She had to get home and get some sleep before court tomorrow morning, and besides Nikki was probably wondering where she was. She knew that her daughter wouldn't go to be until she got home. She looked over the file one more time. This case was really important for her and for Danny. Her brother knew the cop that got shot and he was the main witness because he had also been undercover for a short time, and he knew that Jack Robinson's cover had been blown. He also knew that they way Jack had been killed matched Rives style. Danny had been around the corner when jack got shot and the cop had died in Danny's arms. Jack has said Rives name before he died. She knew that this case was as important to him as it was to her.

Twenty minutes later she stood up and stretched. She carefully put the files in her briefcase, put her coat on and left her office. Erin headed out to the parking garage and over to her car. He went through her purse looking for her keys, but she couldn't find them.

"Great, I must've left them inside" she muttered to herself.

She sighed and headed back to her office. She grabbed her keys from her desk and was about to leave as the phone rang. Erin frowned. Who would be calling me at twelve thirty in the morning? She grabbed the phone.

"Hello?" she asked quizzically

"Mom? Why are you still at your office?" Nikki's voice sounded worried.

"I'm just leaving now Hun. I'll be home soon." She reassured her daughter.

"Ok. I'm going to go to bed, so I'll see you in the morning."

"Ok, night hunny," she said smiling.

"Night" Nikki hung up and she headed out to my car again.

She got to her car and rubbed her eyes. I'm probably going to fall asleep driving home, she thought. She got her keys and unlocked the door. She closed her eyes for a second and yawned. As she got in the car, she didn't notice a black SUV pull up and three men getting out, all with ski masks on. They waited for her to get in the car, before pulling out their guns and walking over.

Erin slammed the door shut, and was about to turn the keys in the ignition, when she hear a tapping on the car window. She looked up and paled as she saw a gun being pointed at her though the window.

"Get out the car, and I wont shoot you" a male voice threatened.

Erin grabbed the door handle, and with a shaking hand, opened the door, got out and turned to face the three men. All three of them were completely dressed in black, with ski masks, and all three of them were pointing guns at her. One of them put the gun away and took a step towards her, while the other two ran back to bring the SUV over. Erin was shaking in fear. The man was still coming at her slowly and she didn't know what to do. Should I try and run? She thought panicking there's no way I can fight him off, he's huge. When he was close enough to touch her, Erin's instincts kicked in and she took off towards the exit.

"Shit" the man swore and ran after her.

Erin heard him behind her, but that only made her run faster. She was almost outside when he reached out and yanked her back, and then proceeded to punch her hard in the face. Erin yelled in pain and dropped to the ground. He then kicked her in the stomach twice. She felt a blinding pain in her side as she heard a sickening crack, and she screamed. The man picked her up roughly and she screamed again. He walked over to the car and threw her in the back. One of the other men was waiting and he roughly yanked her arms behind her, and tied her up. She whimpered as the pain from her side assaulted her again. She tried to wiggle free but the man saw her and hit her over the head with that butt of his gun. Erin dropped to the floor and drifted into unconsciousness.

_**Danny**_

Danny lay in the dark next to his wife, but he couldn't get to sleep. He kept thinking about Jack and how he was never going to see his friend again. It had been 3 weeks since he died, but he could picture it like it was yesterday.

He heard two shots and Danny broke out into a sprint. He rounded the corner and froze at the sight of jack lying there with two holes in his chest. He ran over and dropped to his knees next to his friend. Danny whipped out his cell phone and called an ambulance. Then he out pressure on the gunshots and yelled at jack to stay with him. Jack turned to him and whispered "R-Rives" before his heart stopped.

Danny shivered at the memory. Sighing he glanced at the clock next to his bed. It read 12:39. He knew he wasn't getting any sleep so he went downstairs and into the kitchen to get something to eat, hoping that after he would be able to get a few hours sleep before court tomorrow. He knew that Erin would kill him if he was groggy in court. And besides that, Danny really wanted to nail Rives. He poured himself some cereal and wondered how the case would go tomorrow. As he ate his cereal, he thought about Jack and how he would never see his kid grow up. Jack's daughter was five. He didn't notice the time flying by until he heard the phone ring. He looked up and realised that it was five to one in the morning. He frowned as he went to go pick up the phone. Who would call his house at one in the morning?

"Hello?" he whispered, not wanting to wake up his family, in case they slept through the ringing.

"Uncle Danny?" Nikki's voice came though the phone.

"Nikki? What's wrong? Why are you calling so late?" he frowned

"Mom was at the office late, and I called her to ask when she was coming home and she said she was on her way. That was forty minutes ago. I would've called grandpa but he's still away for that conference. I'm worried Uncle Danny. Mom would've called me back if she decided to stay and it should've only taken her fifteen minutes to get home." She blurted out in a rush

Danny knew Nikki was right. Erin would call if she was going to be held up somewhere, but he hoped that he was wrong and everything was ok.

"Ok Nikki, I tell you what? I'll go down and make sure she's ok, alright?" he said trying to sooth his niece.

"Ok, but do you think she's ok? I mean what if she was in a car crash or something? What if she's hurt somewhere? What if-" she said panicking?

"Nikki your mom is going to be fine" he said calmly, although all those thoughts had occurred to him as well. "I'm going to go find her, and if you want I'll call you when I do."

"Yah ok" she said a lot more calm then before, but Danny could tell she was still worried.

"Don't worry Nikki, I'm sure your mom is fine" Danny said to assure both of them.

"Ok Uncle Danny, just call me when you find her."

"I will. bye"

"Bye" she said hanging up.

He put the phone down and grabbed his keys before heading out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Erin**_

Erin groaned, as she came to. Her head was throbbing and her side was on fire. She tried to move her arms, but she realised that they were tied to a pipe behind her, so she stopped wiggling and stared around her, trying to figure out where she was.

It was really dark in the room, but she could make out a door a couple of metres away, and what looked to be a boarded up window. The room she was in was small and cramped; maybe two by four metres and the ceiling was low enough, that if she stood up, she would almost hit her head. As she took in her surroundings, Erin heard voices coming from behind the door. As the voices got closer to the door, Erin pretended to still be unconscious. The door opened and two men walked in.

"She's still out; did you hit her too hard? She better not be dead, or the boss will kill you. We need her alive." the first voice said angrily.

"Hey, she had a pulse when we brought her here, and besides, you told me to knock her out, Cole,"

"Whatever, but if she dies it's on your head Matt" Cole warned before heading out the door.

"When isn't it?" Matt muttered under his breath and followed his partner.

Erin breathed a sigh of relief after the door shut. At least they don't plan on killing me yet, she thought to herself. At least not for a while, and I wonder what they need me for? Hopefully whatever it is takes a long time, and someone realises I'm missing. Danny and dad will find me she thought confidently. They always do, Danny never lets me get into too much trouble and he always protects me. He'll find me, I just know it. She carried on thinking about her brothers and her dad, knowing that they would find her soon.

Erin sat in the dark looking around, for what felt like ages, before she heard her captures again, when in actual fact it had only been about half an hour. The door opened and the two men walked in.

"Well look who's awake" matt sneered at her, "I hope you're hungry, because I brought you a sandwich."

"And you better eat it, or ill force it down your throat," Cole added

Matt put a tray with a ham sandwich and a glass of water on the floor next to her and untied her hands, then stepped back to his partner. Both of them crossed their arms and glared at her until she got up and slowly picked up the glass and took a small sip. Her hand was trembling so much that water spilt all over her. The men just stood there and glared. Erin put the glass down and tried to sit back but they both took a step towards her and grabbed her arms forcing her back to the tray.

"we're not leaving unless you finish that sandwich and the water" Cole said angrily "and I have better places to be, then standing here making sure you eat. And if you make me do that, I'm going to get angry. And then very bad thing are going to happen." He stooped down and shoved his face next to hers "and I guarantee that it won't end well for you. So I suggest you eat"

Erin was terrified. She didn't want to get hurt more than she was, but she didn't want to eat. The thought made her feel nauseous and besides that, what if they had drugged it? Although they probably had drugged the water, and I've already had a sip of that, she thought to herself. So, acting out of self-preservation she reached out and grabbed the sandwich. Cole and matt walked back to the door and watched her take a bite. Erin gagged. The ham was off and the bread was stale. It was one of the most horrible things she had ever tasted, but noticing the men glaring at her threateningly, she quickly took another bite. After finishing half the sandwich, Erin felt like she was going to throw up. Luckily both men had decided that half a sandwich was enough, so they left, but threatened to hurt her if they came back and she hadn't finished it. She dragged herself to one of the corners in the room and threw up noisily. Then she took the last half of the sandwich and hid it in the puke, knowing that they would never look for it in there. The smell made her throw up again and she collapsed to the ground. She felt weak, tired and emotionally drained. She hoped Danny would find her soon. She moved back over to the tray and took a sip of the water to help wash away the taste in her mouth. Afterwards she leaned against the wall and fell into an uneasy sleep.

_**Danny**_

_**3 hours earlier**_

Danny had finally got to Erin's office and pulled into the garage. The first thing her notices was her car was still there and that the door was wide open. That was not good. Danny quickly got out the car and looked around. There were tire marks, indicating that someone had sped away from there in a hurry and her purse and briefcase were still in the car. as well, the keys were in the ignition. Danny bit his lip. He was definitely worried now. Erin never left her briefcase in her car, and she never left her car door open, or leave her keys in the ignition. Something was seriously wrong. He walked around the garage trying to find any evidence of his sister, but came up empty. He walked back to her car and decided to check the back in case. He opened the trunk but there wasn't anything there. He sighed in frustration and closed the lid. He started walking towards the exit. That's when he saw a tiny pool of red liquid on the ground. He froze and his blood went cold. Blood. He hoped to god that it wasn't his sisters. He prayed that she was ok. Danny whipped out his phone to call his partner.

"Reagan? Why the hell are you calling me at one in the god damn morning?" Jackie demanded sleepily

"Hey Jackie, I'm sorry, but I need your help. I-I think my sister's been abducted." Danny whispered.

"What?" all traces of being tired were gone from her voice.

"yah." Danny rubbed his face "my niece called and said that Erin hadn't come home, so I drove to her office and her car is still here, the door is open with the keys in the ignition. Her purse and briefcase are also in the car." Danny took a shaky breath. "I- um, I found a little bit of blood also"

"Ok Danny sit tight I'm on my way" Jackie promised

"Thanks Jackie," Danny said as he hung up the phone.

Danny paced by Erin's car until Jackie arrived twenty minutes later. She got out the car and ran over to Danny.

"Where's the blood?" she asked quietly

Danny walked her over to the tiny pool of blood, and Jackie took a little bit for DNA comparison.

"Ok so ill take this over to the lab, and see who it belongs to. I mean for all we know someone got into a fight this afternoon, it might not be Erin's," Jackie glanced at her partner and knew he didn't by that. "Don't worry Danny, we'll find her." Jackie said confidently. Danny still didn't look convinced.

"I hope so," he murmured.

Jackie narrowed her eyes. He's in shock, she realised. "Ok Reagan, listen up. We are going to find Erin. She is going to be fine. But in the mean time, you need to call your brother and your dad and let them know what's going on. Then we are going to track down the SOB's who did this to her, get her back and throw their assets in jail, you got that?" Jackie stated firmly with her arms crossed.

Danny nodded and headed over to his car. "I'll meet you at the station he called over his shoulder" he wasn't worried anymore. No, now he was pissed off. I'll find you Erin, he thought to himself. I'll find you and then I'll kill the bastards who took you.

Danny got into his car and started making calls. He started with Jamie.

"Danny? What's going on?" Jamie mumbled sleepily

"Erin's been kidnapped, Jamie. I don't have time to go over the details, but get dressed and meet me at the station, ASAP. We don't have time," Danny ordered

He heard Jamie gasp "I'm on my way" he growled into the phone.

That was going to be the easier one, Danny thought to himself. "Great" he muttered out loud. "Now I have to call dad" he groaned. His father was going to be furious. Danny sighed and dialled the number.

"Hello?" frank didn't sound even a bit tired

"Hi dad" Danny said biting his lip.

"Danny? What's wrong? Why are you calling at half past one in the morning? Is everything alright?" he father asked worried

Danny took a deep breath "dad, um, Erin- Erin's been kidnapped."

There was silence on the other end of the line. After about a minute and a half he dad finally asked "when?"

"My guess is about an hour ago, but for all I know it could have happened fifteen minutes ago. Nikki talked to her around half twelve, my guess is that it happened right after that."

"Ok, I'm on my way home." His father hung up abruptly.

Danny sighed and carried on to the police station.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry it took a while to update, but I just couldn't figure out what to write. Thank you to everyone for the awesome reviews, you guys definitely helped keep me going and got me to stick it out and finish this chapter. I'll hopefully be able to update soon, but I'm really struggling to come up with ideas for what to do next. If anyone has an idea I'd love to hear it! Anyway, here is chapter three, enjoy :) **

_**Erin**_

Erin didn't know how long she had been in that room. Her captures had come back three times with food and water, but all three times she couldn't keep the food down. Unfortunately, the smell was beginning to get unbearable. She didn't know how much longer she could stay in there. She had no idea how long it had been but she was certain that she had been here at least twenty four hours, if not more. Where is Danny, dad and Jamie? Why haven't they found me yet? Erin knew that she hadn't been there that long, but she was in pain, and didn't know how long she could hold on. She kept throwing up, so she didn't have any food in her system. Erin wished she had a watch on, so she could at least know how long the bastards had kept her in this hell hole. I'll ask them next time they come, she decided. She bit her lip. Other than the very first time they had come down, they hadn't talked to her once, and she hadn't talked to them. She contemplated asking them and the chances that they could get angry and hurt her for about half an hour before she heard their footsteps coming down the hall.

The door opened and Erin blinked as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. Matt put the food tray down at her feet. It was now or never. Erin bit her lip again and took a deep breath.

"Um, I was wondering," She began tentatively "how long have I been here?" she immediately drew back into the wall, expecting them to get mad and hit her. Instead, they look at each other and frowned.

"Uh, about thirty six hours?" Cole said smiling.

Erin thought it almost seemed nice, which was weird considering how mean he had been earlier. She knew he was up to something. A person like him didn't suddenly become nice. I hope that he's not thinking that by being nice he's gonna get something out of me, because I'll die before I let him touch me. Erin was really scared now that that thought had crossed her mind. Oh my god, what if he tries something? I'm not strong enough to fight him off, hell I'm not strong enough to put up a fight! She thought franticly. She took a deep breath to calm herself. If he tries something, deal with it then, she told herself firmly. Then she turned back to Cole, who was staring at her. She shank back even more.

"Ok" Erin said in a small voice

Matt wrinkled his nose. "god it smells in here" he sighed "well well be moving you to the boss's place soon, so at least you'll be out of here, and I won't have to worry about looking after you anymore. I don't want to have to come down here anymore." With that matt turned on his heel and walked out the door.

"Make sure you eat that" Cole added before following his partner.

Erin sighed, relieved. They hadn't gotten mad. They had answered her question. Then as she took in all the information, her heart sank. Thirty six hours, and still no one had found her. And to add to that, she was leaving soon. Erin didn't know whether to be relieved or worried about that. She knew that leaving meant that she could get out of this god awful room, but it also meant that, if anyone had found out she was here, then they would have to start looking all over again.

Her stomach growled loudly. Sighing, she picked up the sandwich and was extremely surprised to find that it wasn't ham, and the bread was soft. It was a cheese sandwich. Maybe they ran out of stale bread and ham? She thought to herself. Taking a bite, Erin thought she had never tasted something so wonderful in her life. The bread was fresh, and the cheese tasked good too. She smiled for the first time since she had been kidnapped. She finished the sandwich and drained the water from the glass. It tasted funny, but she ignored it. The sandwich had made her really thirsty, so she drained every drop from the glass. Erin's vision started to blur. Crap! She thought. They spiked the water! She tried to clear her head but it was too muddled. Her last thought before she fell unconscious was _Danny please find me._

_**Danny**_

Two days. Danny sat at his desk and rubbed his eyes. His sister had been missing for two days, and he had no new leads. Maybe Jackie and his dad were right. He needed to go home, see his family and get some sleep, because he hadn't gotten any since Nikki's phone call. His father had pretty much done the same thing as him. Being the commissioner had advantages though, and his dad was using every resource at his disposal to try and find Erin.  
>Two whole days had gone by though, and all they had were tire treads for the vehicle they used for the kidnapping. It really wasn't looking good, and Danny was getting extremely frustrated. He bit the head off anyone who offered words of comfort, and the only people who could stand being around him were Jamie, his father and Jackie. All three of them were into the case almost as much as him, but they didn't have a serious sense of guilt except, maybe, his dad. Danny didn't know why, but he felt like this was his fault, and he should have been able to do something to stop what happened. he knew that the feeling was slightly ridiculous, because there wasn't any way he could have known what would have happened, and by the time he did know, there was nothing to do except do everything he could to find his sister. And he wasn't doing a very good job at doing that. Unless they found a car that matched the tire treads, and had Erin's DNA in it, they we screwed. These guys had been professionals. They hadn't left any trace of themselves other then the treads. Danny glared at his computer, as if it was the computer's fault that Erin was missing. Jackie walked in then, and interrupted Danny's inner worries.<p>

"Hey Danny, I just got back from the lab. There were no prints on Erin's car, briefcase, or purse, other than hers."

Danny groaned and slammed his fist on the desk. "Dammit! We just can't catch a break!"

"Hey, Danny calm down. We'll find her. And then we'll find these SOB's that grabbed her. How many times do I have to tell you?" Jackie said.

"You tell me that every damn hour, and I get it, ok? You know we're gonna find her. But every second she's with them is another second they could kill her. I know we're gonna find her, but I wanna find her alive." with that Danny turn away from Jackie to hide the tears in his eyes.

He had to find his sister alive. There was no other option, because Danny would never forgive himself if she died. Taking a deep breath to calm himself he turned around to face Jackie again. Concern filled her eyes, and Danny sighed inwardly. He knew what was coming, ever one had asked him if he was ok at least eight or nine times today, and yesterday was much worse. He wanted to scream 'no! I'm not f-ing ok! My sister has been kidnapped and I don't know how to find her!' but he never did, he always said 'yeah, I'm ok'

"Reagan, I know you're worried. I know you're pissed off and that you want to hit someone. Don't try that 'I'm ok' crap on me because I know you're the opposite, but you know what? That's ok. You're allowed to not ok, and everyone gets it. Your sister's been abducted by psycho's and you want to find her. So stop feeling sorry for yourself and start looking for her" Jackie told him firmly.

Danny sighed. He knew that Jackie was right. "Ok, but I don't know how to find her, they didn't leave a trace and we don't have any leads. We have nothing!" he yelled frustrated.

Everyone in the precinct turned and looked at him for a second before quickly getting back to work after receiving glares from both Jackie and Danny.

"Yah I know" Jackie sighed "but we'll find something soon, you just gotta keep your hopes up, all this soon and gloom talk isn't gonna help Erin"

Danny knew that, but he couldn't help it. He knew that 48 hours was a really long time to be kidnapped for, especially with no contact from the kidnappers. He kept hoping that they would call, because then at least he would know if she was alive or not. He sighed.

"Yah Jackie I get that, but I can help it ok? You didn't see Nikki's face when I had to tell her that her mom had been kidnapped. you don't have to see Jamie's face, cause every time he looks at me, I can see it in his face, he thinks I should 'a found her by now. And my dad? He acts calm but I know he's panicking. We already lost Joe, we can't lose Erin too." Danny closed his eyes and tried to stop seeing Erin lying dead in an ally somewhere.

Jackie sighed sadly "yah I know, I'm sorry Reagan" she said quietly and walked over to her desk and started fiddling with her computer.

Jamie walked in then and without hesitating walked straight over to Danny's desk.

"Dad asked me to come get you, we're all going home, to talk" Jamie said quietly.

Jamie looked almost as bad as Danny. he hadn't gotten much sleep either, but unlike Danny he couldn't do much for the investigation, and their dad was making him go home every night, so he had gotten a little sleep, even if it was restless and filled with nightmares. Jamie didn't want a repeat of what happened with Joe any more than Danny did.

"Yah ok, I'll meet you outside" Jamie nodded and walked outside.

Danny closed his eyes for a few seconds before getting up and following his little brother.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm really sorry that it's been a ridiculously long time since I updated. I'm just about finished the next chapter as well so it shouldn't be very long until I update again. **

**I realised that I didn't have a disclaimer so, in case in isn't obvious...**

**I DONT OWN BLUE BLOODS!**

**Thanks to everyone for all of the reviews I really appreciate them.**

**On to chapter 4...**

Erin

Erin woke up in a different room. She looked around, alarmed, at her new surroundings. She looked around and saw a small window that let in enough light to see the rest of the room clearly and a door at the opposite end of the room. There was also a door behind her, and it was open. Erin carefully got up and gasped at the sudden sharp pain that rocked her body. She winced as she took a step to the door, but gritted her teeth and walked into the other room. There was a bigger window in there but it had bars across it. There was also a toilet, a sink, a small mirror, and even a towel. She walked over to the sink and mirror, and gasped in shock at the sight of herself. She barely recognized herself. There were huge bags under her eyes and her cheek bones were sticking out. Her nose was twisted at an odd angle, obviously broken, which explained the painful throbbing she had been feeling since she had been grabbed. There was blood smeared underneath her nose and around her mouth. There was dirt all over her face and a nasty bruise just over her left eye. A couple tears left her eyes as she took in her appearance. She angrily wiped them away and glared at the mirror. Erin wouldn't let them make her cry and she wouldn't become a victim to the monsters she helped put behind bars. She turned on the cold water and washed all the blood and dirt from her face and thought about how to get out of her hell hole. But unfortunately, before she got a chance she heard the door in the other room open and several voices talking. She recognized Matt and Cole, but there was one other male voice that she didn't recognize.  
>"Our deal was supposed to be over when we handed her over to you." Cole grumbled.<br>"Well you're not done working for me until I say so" the mystery voice snapped  
>Erin looked for a place to hide, but she couldn't find one. She bit her lip wondering what she could do. Her eyes wondered around the room ad settled on the mirror, and she smiled grimly. As her kidnappers argued, Erin worked on prying the mirror from the wall and she breathed out a sigh of relief as it came off quietly. Erin bit her lip. She hadn't thought out the whole plan, because she needed to break the mirror to get a weapon to use, but the men would hear that. She sighed and squared her shoulders. She could break the mirror and run out, or she could walk out then break it. Erin turned around and smiled as she saw the towel. She grabbed it and wrapped the mirror in it. She took a breath and broke it. Erin opened the towel, after waiting a minute to see if the men in the other room had heard. Feeling confident that they hadn't she grabbed the biggest piece of glass and gripped it tightly. She hissed when it cut into her hand slightly and she dropped it. She picked up again but carefully this time and stood up with a lot more confidence than she felt. In fact Erin was terrified. She was a lawyer, not an experienced fighter. Sure her father and brothers had taught her some basic moves, but she was in no way ready to take on three men, and they were probably armed. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it probably wouldn't work. Erin shook off those thoughts. She has surprise on her side and she had a weapon too. She was getting out of this, and she was going to get out of it now. As all the possibilities few through her head, Erin paced around the room, really thinking it through. The three men were still arguing about payment and workload, but now she had the new guy's name, Mateo. The name was familiar. Losing her train of thought, she frowned and tried to remember where she had heard it before. Suddenly it clicked. Mateo was Mateo Lancaster; Anthony Rives' right had man. She froze. If Rives was behind her abduction, she was in serious trouble, but so was Danny. She knew that Rives had a vendetta against him and if Danny was doing everything in his power to find her, he was in danger. That was the thought that made her decide to act. Erin had put down the glass as she was pacing, so she grabbed the towel and used it to pick the shard of glass. She walked to the door and let out a deep breath. She peeked around the corner and was both terrified that the men so close to her and relieved she wouldn't have to run across the room, and give them more time to react.<p>

Ok, she thought to herself. On three.

Danny

Danny and Jamie sat in silence on the way to their dad's house. A couple of times Jamie had tried to talk to his brother but Danny only grunted in response and Danny could feel the annoyance radiating off of his brother. Finally Danny couldn't take it anymore

"What? What's your problem now?" Danny burst out.

Jamie turned to look at him for a second before huffing and looking back out the window. "Nothing"

Danny sighed "Jamie what's wrong?" he asked more quietly

There was silence in the car for about two minutes. Danny could tell Jamie was struggling with what to say.

"I'm scared" he finally let out. "I'm terrified I'm gonna lose another sibling and you and dad have shut me out the investigation. I care about her too you know! She's my sister too and I feel just as bad about this as you do, but you have been acting like you're the only one who lost someone!" Jamie's voice had risen until he was yelling at his brother.

Danny was shocked into silence. He thought back over the past two days and realised there was truth to what Jamie said. He'd blown his whole family off at some point. Another wave of guilt washed over him.

"...I'm sorry Jamie. I know you're hurting too. I just- I have to find her and I can't do it if I'm sitting with the family crying."

"I'm not asking you to do that Dan. I'm just asking you to let us in. We want her back just as bad as you" Jamie said quietly.

Both brothers sighed at the same time then chuckled softly. They pulled up outside the house a few minutes later.

When they got in, Danny saw everyone except his two boys sitting around the table. Nikki was sitting in between Linda and pops. She had tear stains all down her face. Another wave of guilt hit Danny. His dad was sitting at the head of the table and motioned for him and Jamie to come sit down. Linda looked up as Danny and Jamie sat down and she smiled at him softly.

"Danny, have anymore leads come up?" pops asked

Danny sighed. "Nothing so far" he glanced at Nikki before continuing. "The tire tracks haven't given us anything and there were no prints or DNA at the scene, other than Erin's"

Nikki had silent tears running down her face at her mother's name. "I'm sorry Nikki" Danny said softly. "Im gonna keep looking though, don't worry too much ok? I'm gonna find her."

Danny looked at his dad how had been staring at him impassively since he had walked through the door.

His father had bags under his eyes from the same lack of sleep that Danny was having. He looked even worse than Danny did. Erin was his only little girl and he couldn't lose another child.

"Danny when was the last time you slept?" his father asked.

"I could ask you the same question" Danny retorted.

His dad closed his eyes for a second. "Danny I'm letting you lead the investigation because I trust you the most out of all the detectives in new York, but if you can't take care of yourself, you are of no help to Erin, and I'll give the investigation to someone else."

Danny was clenching his jaw in anger. "You can't give the investigation to some other detective dad!-"

"Danny gets a good night's sleep. When you wake up you can look with fresh eyes. You're tired and you know that means you could miss things. Start again tomorrow. Its late and we all are tired."

His father's voice offered no room for argument.

"Come on Danny, let's go home. The boys want to see their father." Linda's voice interjected softly.

Danny closed his eyes. He couldn't believe his family was telling him to 'take a break' from looking for his sister. This was Erin! His little sister's life was at stake and they wanted him to stop for a whole night.

His mental ranting was interrupted but Nikki's trembling voice.

"Get some rest Uncle Danny. Look for my mom in the morning." Her voice broke.

Danny's angry thoughts dissipated. He sighed and looked at his niece.

"Fine. I'll sleep tonight." He rubbed his eyes and got up. Linda sighed in relief and got up. She walked over to him and gave him a hug. "You'll find her Danny" she murmured.

They said good bye to everyone and left as his dad was ushering Nikki upstairs.


End file.
